youth
PronouncedYOOTH
nounThe time of life when someone is young, between being a child and becoming an adult.
nounA young person, especially a teenager or young adult.
nounThe quality of being young.
nounYoung people as a group.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter Y (Consonant)
Sound“y”·/j/
At the start of a word or syllable, Y makes the /j/ sound, like in 'yes', 'yet', and 'yell'.
Y at the beginning of a word acts as a consonant and makes the /j/ sound. In the middle or end of a word, Y acts as a vowel (gym, happy, my). Context determines which role Y plays.
Tip
Y at the start says /j/ — yes, you got it!
Examples
Phonics Rule: OU says “oo”
Sound“oo”·/uː/
OU can say the long “oo” sound, like in 'soup', 'group', and 'you'.
OU is a flexible vowel team. Besides its common “ow” sound (out, loud), it can say “oo” as in soup, group, you, youth, and wound.
Tip
OU can say oo — soup, group, you!
Examples
Phonics Rule: TH Digraph (Unvoiced)
Sound“th”·/θ/
TH can make a soft sound “th”, like in 'think' and 'bath'. Just air, no buzz!
The unvoiced TH “th” is the quiet, breathy version. Your throat doesn't vibrate. Stick your tongue between your teeth and blow air.
Tip
Unvoiced TH is quiet — think with three teeth!
Examples
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